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“VOTE RATIONALLY”

Dear Editor:

 

What is the main role of our Representative in the US Congress? While voters of our Territory are preparing to choose from the candidates vying for the title of Congressman or Congresswoman come November, perhaps it will be helpful to respectfully remind our voters to cast their vote with confidence that their choice was not based only on family ties, a friend, or someone who makes attractive promises.

 

Instead, we need someone we can trust to negotiate for the interests of our people. Yes, we have been listening to speeches from each candidate through the media, espousing their visions, missions, philosophies, and promises.

 

While listening to our candidates, questions have been surfacing, such as: How sincere are these candidates to adhere to what they have been preaching? What have they done in their lives to serve our people? How well have they committed themselves in helping others? Are they vying for the position because of the desire to promote their own personal agenda and not of the people?

 

Surely, the majority of our voters will vote rationally and intelligently. I have faith that we, as a sensible and conscious people, will examine the character of each individual based on who they are, their credentials, their deep understanding of our culture, their background, the service they have provided, and above all, honesty, sincerity, love for our people, and the down-to-earth attitude that is earned by a life of getting one’s hands dirty, sacrificing to do good for the benefit of others; someone who understands what it means to be a true servant-leader. We have to remember that the American Samoa Representative does not have a voice or vote in Congress.

 

Thus, the main role or function of the representative we send to Washington is to become an aggressive, intelligent, and effective lobbyist. Someone who can work magic through developing connections among Washington insiders, by locating and working together with lobbyists and senior representatives from other states so they might directly or indirectly represent our territory’s interests before Congress.

 

We need someone who can win the hearts of other representatives to not only introduce our initiatives before Congress, but also closely work with them to make sure such initiatives will be passed. We certainly do not need a representative who is stubborn, self-centered, or egotistic.

 

Who amongst the vying candidates has a persuasive trait and is receptive to team work? To me, that appears the most important question we must keep in mind as we continue to examine the different characters of our candidates. I hope come November, we the voters will be able to identify who that candidate is going to be. Let’s vote rationally, not wildly. 

 

Fanuatele T. Vaiagae, PhD

Director & Adjunct Faculty Argosy University-American Samoa